Short answer
Consciously define and articulate the desired outcomes and values of your design research to guide your methodological and execution choices for greater impact.
- Field
- Innovation & Design
- Source
- MIS Quarterly (2012)
- Method
- Conceptual Framework Development and Application
- Evidence
- Strong effect
The ultimate goals and values guiding a research project significantly influence the design choices, methodologies, and the ultimate impact of the findings. This innovation & design research insight is drawn from a 2012 study published in MIS Quarterly. Using Conceptual framework development and application, researchers explored how this design variable affects real-world outcomes. The key design takeaway: Consciously define and articulate the desired outcomes and values of your design research to guide your methodological and execution choices for greater impact.
Research Objectives Shape Design Outcomes
The ultimate goals and values guiding a research project significantly influence the design choices, methodologies, and the ultimate impact of the findings.
MIS Quarterly · 2012
Key Findings
- 01Information Systems research is not value-neutral; it involves deliberate normative choices.
- 02A pragmatic framework can expose these choices regarding research ends, theories, methodologies, ethics, and impact.
- 03Even experimental research involves significant value judgments in its design and interpretation.
Application
Design takeaway
Consciously define and articulate the desired outcomes and values of your design research to guide your methodological and execution choices for greater impact.
How to apply
Before starting a design research project, ask: 'What are the ultimate goals of this research, and how do my chosen methods and design decisions serve those goals ethically and effectively?'
Project actions
- 01Clearly state the purpose and desired outcomes of your design project at the outset.
- 02Justify your chosen research methods and design approaches by linking them back to your project's goals.
Method & Evidence
Variables
Strengths & Limitations
Strengths
- +Provides a critical lens for evaluating research design.
- +Highlights the often-overlooked subjective elements in research.
Limitations
It can be challenging to definitively predict or measure the long-term impact of a design project.
Reliability & validity
The validity of the framework lies in its logical coherence and applicability across different research contexts. Reliability would depend on consistent application of the framework by different researchers.
Think critically
How might a designer's personal values or the values of their client influence the 'ends' of a design research project, and how can this influence be managed ethically?
Design Principles
"Research design should be intentionally aligned with clearly articulated goals and values."
Understanding the underlying 'ends' of research helps designers and researchers make more deliberate and effective choices about their projects. This awareness can lead to more relevant, ethical, and impactful design solutions by aligning the research process with desired societal or user outcomes.
What This Means for Your Design
Think about *why* you're doing a design project and what you hope to achieve, not just *how* you'll do it. Your goals will affect your choices.
How to use in your project
- 1.When discussing the rationale for your research, explain how your chosen objectives influenced your methodology and design.
- 2.Use this to justify why certain outcomes were prioritized in your design.
Add to My Project
Quick Cite
Paragraph starter
The research presented suggests that the 'ends' or desired outcomes of a design project significantly shape the research process and its findings. Therefore, it is crucial to explicitly define the goals and values guiding the design research, ensuring that the chosen methodologies, execution, and representation of knowledge are aligned with these objectives to maximize relevance and impact.
Source
MIS Quarterly
The Ends of Information Systems Research: A Pragmatic Framework1
journal · 2012
View sourceQuestions About This Research
- What does the research say about research objectives shape design outcomes?
- Consciously define and articulate the desired outcomes and values of your design research to guide your methodological and execution choices for greater impact. Evidence: MIS Quarterly (2012).
- Why does "Research Objectives Shape Design Outcomes" matter for design?
- Understanding the underlying 'ends' of research helps designers and researchers make more deliberate and effective choices about their projects. This awareness can lead to more relevant, ethical, and impactful design solutions by aligning the research process with desired societal or user outcomes.
- How can designers apply this research?
- Consciously define and articulate the desired outcomes and values of your design research to guide your methodological and execution choices for greater impact.
- What were the main findings?
- Information Systems research is not value-neutral; it involves deliberate normative choices.. A pragmatic framework can expose these choices regarding research ends, theories, methodologies, ethics, and impact.. Even experimental research involves significant value judgments in its design and interpretation.
- What research method was used?
- Conceptual Framework Development and Application.
- How strong is the evidence?
- Evidence strength is rated Strong effect, based on a 2012 journal from MIS Quarterly.
- What should I do differently in my next project?
- Before starting a design research project, ask: 'What are the ultimate goals of this research, and how do my chosen methods and design decisions serve those goals ethically and effectively?'
- What are the limitations?
- The framework is primarily applied to Information Systems research, and its direct applicability to all design disciplines may require adaptation.